Hey, y'all!

I am now in the Deep South. Does it get any deeper than this? Mobile is one of the oldest cities in the nation. It was founded in 1702 by the same French brothers who established New Orleans. Mobile has much in common with its larger neighbor to the west. The historic district looks very much like the French Quarter of the Louisiana metropolis. It is, of course, smaller, but it oozes southern charm. Mobile is the only seaport in Alabama. It was the site of a famous sea battle during the Civil War (unsurprisingly named Battle of Mobile Bay) in which the Union forces gained control of the bay. During WW II this was a boom town due to the shipyards located here. The town went into decline thereafter but has since sprung back to life. Many of the fine old buildings in the downtown area have been restored to their former glory.
The opera company has housed me with some partrons who live in the suburbs and provided me with a rental car for the duration. My hosts, Kevin and Jeff, took me out to breakfast at a place frequented by the locals, the Tiny Diny. Its slogan is: Park your Hiney at the Tiny Diny. That would give a good indication of the general ambience of the place. I loved it. I had an omlet (their spelling) with grits. Grits are a southern staple, of course. The dish is very similar to farina, I think, with a good bit of butter in it. I enjoy the local manner of speech (and yes, they do say 'y'all' -- a lot) and the mannerly tone of social intercourse. It reminds me of Austria, actually, where people are exceptionally polite and solicitous.
Yesterday we met for the first time in an afternoon session. It was a sing-through with the principals (no chorus). We were missing the mezzo, who was otherwise engaged. The singer doing the Holländer has done the role at least half a dozen times. The Senta, Amanda Mace, is tackling her formidable role for the first time. Amanda has been singing and living in Europe for the past eight years. She commented on how differently things work here. For example, our conductor is very easy going and accomodating of the singers. The European way of doing things is very authoritarian: what the conductor says goes, no discussion.
I went into town early (the rehearsal hall is on Dauphin Street, the main drag in the historic district) to have a look around. It is a charming town. There are many lovely old bulidings and small parks. This is a very Catholic town and the French influence is still present, mostly in place names and the like. Of course, these have been anglicized: Bienville Park is pronounced 'byenvill' and Dauphin Street has become 'dawfin'. In the evening we had the first staging rehearsal, starting with Act I. Anyone who has been through the process of staging an opera knows that it can be a long and tedious ordeal, with a good deal of sitting around and repetition. The director has done the show before and has clear ideas of what she wants. This is hard work for me as I play every rehearsal, but there is a lot of socializing that will go on as we work together. On our dinner break we visited one of the many restaurants in the area, one specializing in Thai cuisine. The commercial district has not yet been invaded by the otherwise ubiquitous chain restaurants and stores. All the businesses seem to be locally owned. May it stay that way.